Overwhelming community support for hospital staff has been praised by the boss of the health trust which runs Darent Valley Hospital.

Louise Ashley, chief executive of the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, thanked the public and hundreds of volunteers for their help during the coronavirus pandemic so far.

She praised staff for delivering the “most extraordinary and compassionate care” she had seen in her 37 years in nursing.

Speaking at the trust’s annual general meeting last month, Ms Ashley said: “This year has been the most challenging but also most humbling.

“The support from our community has been overwhelming, and the courage of our staff and agencies – this has been an extraordinary year.

“We haven’t always got it right and for those who we haven’t, I want to personally apologise.

“We learn from any mistakes we make and that’s really important to us. We don’t always meet expectations but on the whole we do.

“It’s been an exceptionally busy year and we can’t do any of this without our staff.

“We’re going to focus on the wellbeing of our staff because if we don’t keep them well, healthy and proud we won’t deliver as good care.

“I would like to really thank our staff this year. They’ve worked so hard with skill and compassion and I’d like to thank each one of them.

“You might say ‘well hospitals are about patients not the staff’ but we know if the staff are not here and willing and well supported, we won’t deliver the care we want to.

“We mustn’t forget our volunteers and would really like to thank them and the Valley Park Charity.”

Some 173 volunteers gave up their time to help at the hospital and the trust also set up a team of DGT Doers to assist hospital staff during the pandemic.

The trust set out several activities which had taken place throughout the past 12 months.

A diversity and equality committee has been established which Ms Ashley said she was pleased to see brought in.

“People belonging is terribly important,” she said. “The council meets as about 60 members, and it is about making sure everybody who comes to work or cared for in the organisation feels valued as an individual.”

The trust received a “good” rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) last August and Ms Ashley said the trust was working on its five-year plan to progress to outstanding.

“We’re determined to become an outstanding organisation – not just to get a badge from the CQC but actually so we provide the most outstanding care we can for our citizens,” she added.

Chief nurse Siobhan Callanan said the hospital was taking steps towards becoming outstanding after the CQC found “some areas to improve our practice”.

She said: “A number were in our emergency department. They looked at our skill mix and we had an external validation and we added investment to our staff.

“The paediatric emergency department is a small area even though they see a lot of children. Our plan this year is to improve that in terms of size and staff members and skill mix.

“We’ve employed a mental health nurse to help support our staff to understand and be compassionate in our care for people with mental health issues.”

Directors say they have placed extra emphasis on staff wellbeing and mental health.

A new outside wellbeing space has been created with a garden area and seating to eat lunch and grab some fresh air, and an outdoor area to chat to colleagues.
There’s also a marquee which is used for the hospital’s singing club and weight-loss classes.

Leslieann Osborn, director for wellbeing and community engagement, said: “We also use it for yoga classes to keep physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually well.

"The support from our community has been overwhelming and so has the courage of our staff"

“We’ve got furnishings and murals and stuff we’ve bought from the NHS Charities Together funding, which Colonel Sir Tom Moore raised his funds for.

“We’re very mindful of looking after the mental health of our staff.

“Working in the NHS at any time – not just during a pandemic or winter – can be very stressful. So looking after the mental health of colleagues is of utmost importance.

“We have a Time to Talk Team who listen to people’s stories and be there and if needed can forward on for more support.”

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